Island travellers with Aer Arran now have more destinations at their disposal.

Etihad Airways has announced a new codeshare agreement with the airline.

It will provide travellers from Cork and Galway with greater access to 48 destinations around the world through its Abu Dhabi hub.

Under the deal, which is now in force, the Abu Dhabi-based airline will place its two-letter ‘EY’ code on Aer Arann’s regional flights from Cork and Galway to Dublin and from the Isle of Man.

In turn, the codeshare agreement will give air travellers in Ireland and the Isle of Man access, via Dublin, to Etihad’s home base of Abu Dhabi and beyond it to 48 destinations on the airline’s global network which covers the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and North America.

Welcoming the agreement, Aer Arann Chief Executive Paul Schutz said: ‘The importance of regional access to major international routes cannot be over-stated and this code share agreement is a very significant addition to the infrastructure supporting business and the economy in the regions.

‘The agreement is also a major boost for leisure travel to and from the regions.

‘This type of regional connectivity to large hub airports means that both business and leisure passengers can now enjoy seamless travel from Cork, Galway and the Isle of Man to the entire Etihad network.’